"You like it, Buddy? Good boy~"
Cuquawked!
Javier smiled and rubbed the side of Buddy's thick neck, earning a satisfied squawk and a happy tail wiggle.
"Ah… that was fun. And good exercise too, right, Buddy?"
Cuquawked.
Javier let out a long breath and glanced around the stronghold. Once shattered and scarred by war, now the walls stood proud again. The buildings were nearly all rebuilt. New roofs, reinforced gates, clean courtyards. The cobblestone roads beneath his feet shone faintly, perfectly fitted without cracks or gaps.
He smirked. A faint glow still clung to his fingertips—a residue of the magic crafting spells he used earlier to rebind the stones and reinforce the structure of the stronghold.
He leaned back, looking toward the horizon.
"Buddy… I wonder who Father will send here."
Cuquawked?
"Alf? Nah. No way. He, Erinnette, and Hesbeirn are way too important to Father. Those three are basically his limbs. I doubt they'd ever leave his side… right, Buddy?"
